Recently, rapid processing of silver halide photographic materials to form photographic images is desired. However, rapid processing is often unfavorable to photographic materials. When photographic materials are processed rapidly, it becomes impossible to ensure a sufficient time necessary for decoloring the dyes or the sensitizing or desensitizing dyes contained in the photographic materials or for removing them from the materials, with the result that the processed photographic materials have noticeable residual color resulting from the dyes or sensitizing or desensitizing dyes remained therein.
Heretofore, various improvements have been made for overcoming the problem. For instance, it has been proposed to use water-soluble dyes or to improve processing solutions to be used, so as to elevate the decoloring rate. Various methods are known for reducing residual color in processed photographic materials. For instance, there are described (1) a method of adding a water-soluble stilbene compound, a nonionic surfactant or a mixture of them to a developer, (2) a method of treating the photographic element that has been bleached and fixed with an oxidizing agent so as to decompose the dyes in the element, and (3) a method of using a bleaching bath containing persulfuric acid, in Research Disclosure, Vol. 207, No. 20733 (July, 1981). However, these methods are insufficient when the degree of residual color is great. In addition, since these methods could not positively promote the step of decoloring and removing sensitizing dyes, they are not suitable for decoloration of the dyes in rapid processing.